Abstract: To provide audience measurement services without requiring broadcasters to install additional watermarking equipment, a small video capture device may receive a video signal viewed by an audience member, the signal including embedded closed captioning data, and may decode and transmit the closed captioning data to an audience measurement server. The measurement server may receive the data and compare the received data to a database of closed captioning text to identify matches. The database may be populated via one or more additional capture devices receiving local or national broadcast signals, or with data separately provided by broadcasters. When a match is found, the measurement server may determine that the audience member is watching a program having the corresponding closed captioning. Dynamically generated confidence scores may allow for reliable identification of audience members of content, even with very short closed captioning data lengths.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining an error value based on the user's expected level of enjoyment with respect to a specific media asset based on the user's level of enjoyment of other media assets, as determined using a model. User preference information is received from two data spaces that are managed by different content providers. User preference information from the two data spaces is normalized and an indication of similarity between two media assets is determined. The user's level of enjoyment with respect to a media asset is compared to an expected user's level of enjoyment with respect to the media asset received from a model and an error value is determined based on the comparison.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to monitor media presentation to determine a period of media presentation based on tuning session period are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include determining a first tuning session based on a period of time between channel changes of a first media presentation device, determining first presentation session data within the determined first tuning session, determining a model relating the first tuning session with the first presentation session data, determine a second tuning session for tuning data from a second media presentation device, selecting the model for the second tuning session, based on a match of a first duration of the second tuning session and a second duration associated with the model, and estimating second presentation session data for the second tuning session based on the model.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing a live video stream with an interactive shopping interface. A live video stream is obtained from a media server. Item information is obtained from the media server. The item information indicates one or more items being featured in the live video stream. A user interface is rendered upon a display. The user interface includes the live video stream and the item information indicating the items being featured in the live video stream.

Abstract: A real-time content identification and tracking system enabling monitoring of television programming consumption specific to an individual television or other viewing device. Metrics collected may include data regarding viewing of specific broadcast media, commercial messages, interactive on-screen information or other programming, as well as locally cached, time-shifted programming. Information about media consumption by such specific television sets or other viewing means may be returned to a commercial client of the system through a trusted third-party intermediary service and, in certain embodiments, encoded tokens may be used to manage the display of certain events as well as to enable robust auditing of each involved party's contractual performance.

Abstract: Displaying art work or thumbnail images representative of movies, television (TV) programs/episodes and other media content is an appealing and often intuitive way of displaying available media content in a media content browser. However, computer displayable cover art is not necessarily available for all titles. For example, an older movie may not have computer displayable cover art because at the time the movie title was made available it was not anticipated that the movie title might be selectable through a media browser. After considering this description one will understand how the features of various implementations are configured to enable various systems, methods and devices to create computer displayable cover art or thumbnail images for media titles to be displayed by a media browser.

Abstract: Online video can now be supplied with hyperlinks that are associated with and move with objects in the video. However, online video players tend not to report an accurate frame number, and this results in poor synchronisation of the movement of the hyperlink and the object. We propose that a subset of the pixels in the frame be used to encode a numeric frame identifier.

Abstract: A program guide in which a video layer includes a plurality of video objects including title objects, each title object having associated with it a channel and at least one time slot, the video layer being formed in response to a received video stream and a graphics layer comprising a plurality of graphics objects including title overlay objects, each of the title overlay objects selectively imparting at least a visual de-emphasis to a respective title object in the video layer, the visual de-emphasis being imparted to title objects not being associated with a desired time slot.

Abstract: A method of operating a video display device is provided. A reception unit obtains uncompressed audio and video content. A display unit displays the uncompressed audio and video content. An enhanced service management unit receives first content information comprising a trigger based on first characteristic information extracted from the uncompressed audio and video content, executes an application related to the uncompressed audio and video content based on the trigger, receives second content information related to the uncompressed content based on second characteristic information extracted from the uncompressed audio and video content, and terminates the application when the content information satisfies an application termination condition.

Abstract: Disclosed are a display apparatus, and a method and an apparatus for setting up and controlling the display apparatus. The display apparatus includes a communicator configured to receive setting profile data of the display apparatus from an external device, and a controller configured to parse the received setting profile data and perform setting of the display apparatus based on the parsed setting profile data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying which video segment is being displayed on a screen of a television system. The video segment is identified by deriving date from the television signals, the derived data being indicative of the video segment being displayed on file screen. This feature can be used to extract a viewer's reaction (such as changing the channel) to a specific video segment (such as an advertisement) and reporting the extracted information as metrics. The systems and methods may further provide contextually targeted content to the television system. The contextual targeting is based on not only identification of the video segment being displayed, hut also a determination concerning the playing time or offset time of the particular portion of the video segment being currently displayed.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to reduce signature matching uncertainty in media monitoring systems are disclosed. Example media monitoring methods disclosed herein include executing a media signature matching procedure using a first analysis window on monitored media signatures representative of monitored media to identify the monitored media. Example media monitoring methods disclosed herein also include, in response to determining first matching results obtained from executing the media signature matching procedure using the first analysis window are indicative of a matching uncertainty condition, outputting second matching results obtained from executing the media signature matching procedure on the monitored media signatures using a second analysis window that is larger than the first analysis window.

Abstract: A video playback system includes a video distribution server and at least one information processing device. The video distribution server includes a video distribution portion that performs streaming distribution of a video stream, an alternative video distribution portion that distributes an alternative video, and a control information distribution portion that distributes control information. The information processing device includes a receiving portion that receives the video stream, the alternative video, and the control information, a storage portion that stores the alternative video and the control information, a video stream playback portion that performs streaming playback of the video stream, an alternative video playback portion that plays back the stored alternative video, and a playback switching control portion that, based on the stored control information, controls switching between the streaming playback and the playback of the alternative video.

Abstract: Method, terminal, CDN server and system in IPTV system for realizing playing while downloading, the method comprises: the terminal acquires the bit rate information of the media file which the terminal requires to play from the content distribution network CDN server, the CDN server returns a first reply message to the terminal after receiving the requirement, the first reply message piggybacks the bit rate information of the media file which said terminal requires to play, the terminal determines whether said bit rate information satisfies the condition of playing while downloading, if it satisfies, the terminal requires to download the file from said CDN server which user requires while plays said media file.

Abstract: Systems and methods for displaying program guide information are disclosed. In some implementations a method includes, at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, formatting, for display, program guide data on a grid. The grid includes (i) a first axis representing units of time and (ii) a second axis representing multimedia channels. The program guide data comprises information representing a set of multimedia events. Responsive to a user-supplied selection of a multimedia event in the set of multimedia events a panel is overlaid on a portion of the grid. The panel provides additional data regarding the multimedia event.

Abstract: A method for supplying an N-screen service by a main N-screen device in a broadcast system is provided. The method includes receiving an Application Information Table (AIT) including a screen_type indicating a type of N-screen device in which a broadcast service application will be run from a broadcast service provider, and one of running the broadcast service application based on the screen_type, performing an operation related to running the broadcast service application by considering a connection relationship between the main N-screen device and a sub N-screen device based on the screen_type, and discarding the AIT based on the screen_type.

Abstract: A new television broadcast model called a Broadcast Market Exchange (BMX) eliminates the inefficiency in spectrum usage, providing maximum flexibility in delivering content through either VHF (for fixed location receiving devices) or UHF (optimized for mobile receiving devices) transmission/propagation. In conjunction with the BMX, a wireless communications system architecture is provided to enable a broadcast augmentation channel. The augmentation channel provides supplementation of the Quality of Service (QoS) of a one way User Datagram Protocol (UDP) delivery environment. The augmentation channel may be comprised of one or more physical delivery mechanisms (wired or wireless), but can be effectively unified for increasing QoS and or scalable levels of service (additional essence) to improve the user experience.

Abstract: A real-time content identification and tracking system enabling monitoring of television programming consumption specific to an individual television or other viewing device. Metrics collected may include data regarding viewing of specific broadcast media, commercial messages, interactive on-screen information or other programming, as well as locally cached, time-shifted programming. Information about media consumption by such specific television sets or other viewing means may be returned to a commercial client of the system through a trusted third-party intermediary service and, in certain embodiments, encoded tokens may be used to manage the display of certain events as well as to enable robust auditing of each involved party's contractual performance.

Abstract: A core device that is connected to a network, and that is interconnected via a digital audio/video interface with audio/video devices that are connected to the network, provided with a collecting unit that collects interface-connected device information, including at least unique identification information, from the audio/video devices via the digital audio/video interface, and a transferring unit that transfers the interface-connected device information to a portable terminal device that is connected to the network.

Abstract: An exemplary method includes a media program guide system 1) providing, for display on a display screen, a media program guide user interface that includes a grid of cells representing scheduled-type media content and on-demand-type media content, and a selector window positioned relative to the grid of cells to select a cell included in the grid of cells, and 2) selectively configuring a feature of the selector window based on whether the cell selected by the selector window represents the scheduled-type media content or the on-demand-type media content. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.